For the last many years, I’ve been an avid fan of the burgeoning travel tripod market, mostly because my aging back has demanded it.

Spring is here, and that means that flowers are blooming everywhere you look, and they make for marvelous photo subjects. Of course, you can photograph them in a natural way that shows off the surrounding light and environment, but a black background can add a sense of drama and show off the vibrant, eye-catching colors of the blooms. It does not take that much equipment to do so either! This excellent video tutorial will show you what you need and how to go about doing it.

One of the hardest parts of a wedding day to take portraits is after dark. But it's also the time of day with the most potential.

Bold claims for a title indeed, but as photographers, we've all had the opportunity to try different brands to see which one best meets our individual needs. So, when it comes to forking out your hard-earned cash for something like this, you want to be sure you are making the right decision. I would also like to say at the start, although this is a very positive review of the camera, I wasn't expecting it to be just as good as it is.

It sounds like a crazy idea when you first hear it: learning how to light a portrait using only a computer. However, set.a.light 3D promises to give you access to an almost unlimited library of virtual lights, modifiers, studio spaces, and subjects, all with strict adherence to the laws of physics, making it easy to quickly build and explore complex lighting setups. Is it the ultimate learning tool? This great video review takes a deep dive into the software and shows you everything you can accomplish with it.

Panasonic has been quietly releasing some mightily powerful cameras in the last few years, and their latest, the Lumix S5 IIX, shows they have little intention of slowing down anytime soon. This great video review takes a look at the impressively well-balanced camera and the sort of performance and quality you can expect from it in practice.

James Quantz Jr is one of the best out there when it comes to sports portraiture, with his innovative lighting and eye-catching compositions making for dramatic images. If you would like to learn how to create this style of portrait, check out this fantastic video tutorial in which he takes you behind the scenes, breaking down a complex shot into easier chunks to show you how it all came together.

When starting out in photography, you might want to purchase as much gear as possible. However, professional photographers who have been doing this for decades seem to have every lens in the world. It is natural to strive to buy as much gear to be as professional as possible, but the devil is in the details, as it takes decades to amass gear, and even then, the pros still have some things they want to purchase.

If you're considering replacing your pen tablet with another leading brand or are new to the benefits of using this type of peripheral instead of a mouse, I recently got to test the Xencelabs Pen Tablet Medium Bundle SE in Nebula, White and the results were astounding.

If you are looking for great tips on how to improve your astrophotography and workflow, Alyn Wallace has released a great video with 5 easy to follow tips on how to improve your astrophotography and take it to the next level.

There are few skills more fundamental to Photoshop than knowing how to make a proper selection. Done right, it allows you to take greater control of your edits and dial in precise adjustments. And in recent years, Adobe has greatly expanded the application's selection tools. If you are new to the program, check out this excellent video tutorial that will get you up and running with Photoshop's many selection capabilities in no time.

Like any other art, there are clichés in photography, and it is worth being aware of them before you head out with your camera. This great video tutorial takes a look at seven of the most common ones, how they became clichés, and whether we should embrace them or do something else.

The photoshoot of a lifetime just landed in your inbox, but there's a major snag. You can only bring one small bag of gear with you. What makes the cut and what doesn't?

Samyang has long been known for manufacturing impressively sharp and low-cost manual focus lenses, but in recent years, the company has started adding autofocus options to their lineup as well. And even though those options now bring autofocus, they have remained competitively priced. One of the most impressive recent options is the AF 75mm f/1.8 for Fujifilm X Series mirrorless cameras. This excellent video review takes a look at the sort of the performance and image quality you can expect from the lens in practice.

Short telephoto macro lenses are tremendously useful, able to offer great portraits in addition to detail shots. Normal macro lenses offer a 1x magnification factor, but the TTArtisan 100mm f/2.8 2x Macro Tilt Shift doubles the magnification factor and adds tilt-shift capabilities as well, making it one of the most versatile lenses out there, at least on paper. Can it hold up in practice, though? This excellent video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

Can a $1,000 phone compete against a $6,500 camera? In this video, Gavin Hardcastle of fototripper pits the Sony a1 camera against his Samsung S23 in his usual entertaining but informative fashion.

Nikon has started making APS-C mirrorless cameras a few years back, and they are definitely worth considering. Their image quality is decent, the autofocus isn’t half bad, and they undoubtedly have their fans. But they lacked a decent selection of dedicated glass. That is finally changing.

If you love storytelling, travel, and photography, you'll enjoy this video by travel photographer Mitchell Kanashkevich.

In this video, join Scottish photographer Adam Russell from The Nonsense Adventures as he visits the Shetland Islands off Scotland in search of some of the UK's amazing wildlife, which includes Orca, Puffins, and a Basking Shark.

After the release of Nikon’s new Z8 mirrorless camera, you may be asking yourself a simple question. Should you get the Z8 or its big brother, the Z9?

Photo presets often have a bad reputation, but used in the proper manner, they can be useful tools that can save you time and make your life easier. If you are new to photography and feeling tempted by presets, check out this quick and helpful video tutorial that will show you the proper way to make use of them.

Today, DxO is releasing a revamped collection of editing tools that works as either a Photoshop plugin or as a standalone app. They also can function with Lightroom Classic, Affinity Photo and, of course, DxO PhotoLab.

Of course, knowing how to light and pose a portrait is essential to creating a successful image, but the process does not end there. Having an effective, structured, and efficient post-processing workflow will help ensure that you can create polished shots every time. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced portrait photographer sharing his workflow.

The kaleidoscopic world of Indian pre-wedding ceremonies is a visual spectacle — a symphony of colors, emotions, and cultural significance. The Haldi ceremony, in particular, stands out with its beautiful hues of yellow and the joyous atmosphere that surrounds it.

When I started photography, many people would tell me to shoot in manual mode only, and because of that, it took me a long time before I realized what the other modes on the camera were. In this video by Steve Mattheis, Steve goes through each mode in depth and explains how they can be used to suit your style of photography.

Joe Cornish is one of the UK's most renowned landscape photographers and a master of his craft. The way he approaches composition makes his photos stand out. In this YouTube video, Alex Nail looks over Joe's shoulder as he shares his technical and creative process.

Recently I was hired to film a marketing video for a $12 million dollar yacht. Initially, I thought my professional Sony cameras would do the heavy lifting but to my surprise, the GoPro Hero 11 Black became my main camera. Today I break down some of my favorite accessories and the shots they helped me capture.

A client came back with a last-minute change, and GPT-4 saved the day.

Landscape photography is both a wonderful experience and challenging genre, and it helps to always absorb new perspectives, advice, and philosophies to continue to grow and improve. If you would like to make your work better, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced landscape photographer sharing a wide range of advice and perspective sure to put you on the right track.

Do you edit your photos, post them, and leave them to sit on your hard drive, never to be touched again? If so, you might be missing out. This great video features an experienced photographer discussing why you should consider digging into your portfolio to pull out those older photos to edit again.

Blending modes are some of the most useful functions in Photoshop, and yet, they are often overlooked, which is a shame, because they offer a ton of power and versatility for dialing in the exact edits you want, whether subtle and understated or an entire overhaul of an image. One of the most useful blending modes is the darken mode, and this excellent video tutorial will show you how to use it to add a bit of mood to an image.

Landscape photographers use a camera to capture stunning images, but have you stopped to think about how the same camera is a key to experiences? A key to new places. A key to new adventures. A key to an enhanced experience with nature. A key to meeting new people.

Google Photos is pushing the boundaries of image editing, testing a new feature that uses generative AI to transform photos in a groundbreaking way. Last week, I talked about Google Photos's revolutionary changes to their search feature, and today, we're going to explore the editing features themselves. Named the "Magic Editor," this innovative tool promises to offer a level of manipulation that allows users to make drastic changes to their photos seamlessly.

Buying accessories for photography can be a never-ending game, however in this video by Simon d'Entremont, Simon covers some of the most essential products that you should own to make your life easier. All of these products can be found for under $100!

One of the most common reactions to failure is saying that you will try harder next time. It’s an easy, quite popular way of dealing with failure at one thing or another. However, simply trying harder and expecting a different result is hardly a great way to progress. Here’s why it doesn’t work, and here is what does.

When you think of dodging and burning, you probably think of it as a technique that used for shaping and retouching portraits, but really, it is a technique that can be applied to any genre, including landscape photography. If you would like to learn how you can apply dodging and burning to your landscape work, check out this excellent video tutorial that will show you everything you need to know.

There are many different ways to grow as a photographer, but one of the most effective ways is to work the same scene or subject multiple times, evaluate what went well and what did not, and try again. This excellent video follows an experienced photographer as he does that and shows how he aims for the best shot at the end of the day.

The Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S lens offers its users some of the best optical performance and image quality the company has ever put into a lens, making it a highly desirable option for a wide range of shooters, particularly portrait and wedding photographers. Can it offer what it promises in practice? This excellent video review takes a look at everything you can expect from it.

Creativity is a challenge for all of us. This second article looks at five more attributes that the most successful creatives have. It includes the one most important trait of all.

Photoshop is a tremendously powerful and intricate program, and as such, it can be tricky to master (or even be aware of) every single feature it contains. If you would like to expand your Photoshop capabilities, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features some of the best Photoshop experts in the world sharing their best tips for using the program.

Every professional wants to book more clients, of course, but how to actually go about doing so is not always obvious. If that is something you would like to accomplish, but you are unsure of how to approach it, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced photographer that shares three useful tips that will put you on the right track.

When I was in Tokyo recently I saw a mysterious 35mm color negative film I'd never heard of before. The only course of action was to buy the film, shoot it, and see what it was like. So how did it turn out and what film was it? Keep reading and find out.

You might think that creating enveloping wraparound light requires multiple sources, but it can actually be done with just a single source. This fantastic video tutorial will show you how to create such a portrait using only a single light and a small home studio.

Although they are not that common, black and white cameras can provide a unique experience and incredibly smooth tonality. The Leica M11 Monochrom promises a pure photography experience and some of the best image quality out there. How does it hold up in practice? This excellent video takes a first look at the performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.

As the stigma around discussing mental health begins to improve, join me in this article to learn about how I have used photography over the years to help with my fight against PTSD and depression. Trigger warning: this article contains references to suicide, which some may find upsetting.